US4750810A - Camera optics for producing a composite image from two scenes - Google Patents
Camera optics for producing a composite image from two scenes Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US4750810A US4750810A US06/927,862 US92786286A US4750810A US 4750810 A US4750810 A US 4750810A US 92786286 A US92786286 A US 92786286A US 4750810 A US4750810 A US 4750810A
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- plane
- lenses
- lens
- camera
- optical system
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-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B27/00—Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups G02B1/00 - G02B26/00, G02B30/00
- G02B27/10—Beam splitting or combining systems
- G02B27/1066—Beam splitting or combining systems for enhancing image performance, like resolution, pixel numbers, dual magnifications or dynamic range, by tiling, slicing or overlapping fields of view
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B17/00—Systems with reflecting surfaces, with or without refracting elements
- G02B17/02—Catoptric systems, e.g. image erecting and reversing system
Definitions
- the invention relates to an optical system for producing a composite image from two scenes.
- Our UK Pat. No. 1438293 describes a television system in which two parts of a relatively wide scene--such as six people seated at a conference table--are viewed by separate cameras.
- the resultant video signals are combined in that the central 50 percent of the active lines of each individual picture form respectively the upper and lower halves of the composite picture.
- the single combined signal may be displayed in this form or the two halves of the image can be separated and displayed on a pair of monitors mounted side-by-side.
- FIG. 1 A known arrangement of this type is depicted in FIG. 1 in plan view where first and second cameras 1,2 mounted at the same height have fields of view (which cross, as shown) covering two halves of a table 3 at which are seated six persons 4.
- the transmitted picture 5 and two-monitor display 6,7, after separation by a separator 8, are illustrated in FIG. 2.
- This system allows a maximum of a 4-line gap (arrow 9) between the two images.
- the present invention aims to provide a composite signal from a single camera, and is defined in the appended claims.
- FIG. 1 shows a known system for generating a composite picture with two cameras.
- FIG. 2 shows the transmitted picture and two-monitor display generated with the system of FIG. 1.
- FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing shown the overall arrangement of a television camera incorporating optics according to one embodiment of the invention
- FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the prism arrangement of the camera of FIG. 3;
- FIG. 5 is a modified form of the prism arrangement.
- FIG. 3 is shown the overall arrangement of a camera when a pair of identical lenses 10,11 whose optical axes lie in a common plane (the axis plane) and are disposed at a suitable angle (eg 41°) to view the two halves of a scene.
- the axis plane is assumed to be horizontal.
- the respective images are directed via a prism arrangement 12--which consists entirely of planar reflecting facets--and a relay lens 13 on to the target 14 of a camera tube 15.
- the remainder of the camera is conventional, as indeed are all the components shown in FIG. 3 with the exception of the prism arrangement 12 which will now be considered in more detail.
- FIG. 4 shows left-hand and right-hand scene halves, 14,15 which are assumed for illustration to consist of the letters LF and RP, the lenses 10,11 and an exploded diagram of the prism assembly 12.
- Light from the right-hand scene RP passes through the lens and undergoes multiple reflection in a roof prism 20 and thence passes through a 45° prism 21.
- the focal length and adjustment of the lens 10 are such that the image is brought to a focus on a plane f parallel to the axis plane which (as depicted in FIG. 4) is coincident with the upper surface of the prism 21.
- Light from the left-hand image LF passes through the lens 11 and is reflected within a prism 22 (the geometry of which is discussed below) and thence by a 45° prism 23. Again the image is brought to a focus in the focal plane f.
- the two images are brought into juxtaposition on a common focal plane.
- the images are in positions such that an elongate object placed within the field of view of one lens with its axial normal to the axis plane gives rise to a real image whose axis is colinear with that of a real image from a like object similarly placed within the field of view of the other lens--ie objects which are side by side within the fields of view of the two lenses appear one above the other in the composite real image.
- the single real image thus formed is then focussed by the relay lens 13 (not shown in FIG. 4) onto the camera target.
- a pair 24 of 45° prisms is interposed simply in order to allow the camera tube to the mounted horizontally.
- FIG. 4 The function of the various components is apparent from FIG. 4 where ray paths are indicated schematically by chain-dot lines.
- the letters LF,RP are indicated in continuous lines on the focal plane f but elsewhere are shown in dotted lines (merely for clarification) since the images are not in focus at these points.
- the prism 20 is a roof prism (a known form of prism) in which the entry face 201 (normal to the optical axis of the lens 10) and exit face 202 are mutually perpendicular, as are the reflecting faces 203,204.
- This prism introduces a second reflection which inverts the image thereby compensating the inversion due to the ⁇ opposite-hand ⁇ arrangement of the two halves of the prism arrangement, and thus satisfies condition (a).
- the prism 22 introduces a second reflection which introduces a lateral inversion and thus satisfies condition (b).
- condition (b) the angle of incidence on the first reflecting face 223 is such that total internal reflection does not occur and this face must be provided with a reflective coating. If the resulting attenuation causes excessive imbalance then a compensating loss can be introduced into the other image path, eg by providing a reflective coating (otherwise unnecessary) on the reflecting face of the prism 21.
- Condition (c) is satisfied by placing the prism 22 on the left and the roof prism on the right. This could of course be reversed if it is desired to transpose the image halves.
- FIG. 5 shows a practical embodiment of the prism arrangement where the 45° prisms 21,23 are extended vertically thereby avoiding the acute angles at the apices 211,231, facilitating accurate juxtaposition of the two prisms and reducing the risk of damage to the apices. Moreover there is no gap between the prisms 20,22 and their respective 45° prisms; in fact each pair is formed integrally from a single glass block. It will be observed too that the rear of the roof prism is cut off parallel to the entry face, since the missing material is not required.
- each half of the composite image derives from the center of the optical field of view of the corresponding lenses 10,11--ie, rays entering on the lens axis appear in the center of the relevant image half. Consequently, any lens aberrations appear in a ⁇ figure of eight ⁇ rather than circular distribution.
- Adjustment of the geometry to use half of the field of view so that rays close to the optical axes of the two lenses appear centrally in the composite image will make the aberrations appear as from a single lens, and facilitates correction, eg by making the aberrations in the relay lens complementary to those in the objective lenses 10,11. This may be achieved by vertical shifting and/or tilting by a few degrees of the optical axes of the lenses relative to the plane in which they nominally lie, with corresponding adjustment of the prism angles.
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- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Optics & Photonics (AREA)
- Lenses (AREA)
- Optical Elements Other Than Lenses (AREA)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB858527665A GB8527665D0 (en) | 1985-11-08 | 1985-11-08 | Camera optics |
GB8527665 | 1985-11-08 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US4750810A true US4750810A (en) | 1988-06-14 |
Family
ID=10587983
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US06/927,862 Expired - Fee Related US4750810A (en) | 1985-11-08 | 1986-11-07 | Camera optics for producing a composite image from two scenes |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US4750810A (de) |
EP (1) | EP0225721A1 (de) |
JP (1) | JPS62117479A (de) |
GB (1) | GB8527665D0 (de) |
Cited By (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5293428A (en) * | 1991-05-08 | 1994-03-08 | Rohm Co., Ltd. | Optical apparatus for use in image recognition |
US5867318A (en) * | 1995-10-11 | 1999-02-02 | Sagem Sa | Wide-angle optical system |
US5937212A (en) * | 1996-11-15 | 1999-08-10 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Image pickup apparatus |
US5973726A (en) * | 1993-09-24 | 1999-10-26 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Panoramic image processing apparatus |
US20040041914A1 (en) * | 2002-08-28 | 2004-03-04 | Peters Leo J. | Retinal array compound camera system |
US20070046448A1 (en) * | 2002-09-20 | 2007-03-01 | M7 Visual Intelligence | Vehicle based data collection and processing system and imaging sensor system and methods thereof |
US20100091393A1 (en) * | 2007-04-02 | 2010-04-15 | Takayoshi Togino | Optical apparatus |
US20100235095A1 (en) * | 2002-09-20 | 2010-09-16 | M7 Visual Intelligence, L.P. | Self-calibrated, remote imaging and data processing system |
US8994822B2 (en) | 2002-08-28 | 2015-03-31 | Visual Intelligence Lp | Infrastructure mapping system and method |
USRE49105E1 (en) | 2002-09-20 | 2022-06-14 | Vi Technologies, Llc | Self-calibrated, remote imaging and data processing system |
Families Citing this family (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5581409A (en) * | 1994-09-30 | 1996-12-03 | Republic Lens Co., Inc. | Imaging system to combine disparate fields of view |
US11966810B2 (en) | 2012-02-06 | 2024-04-23 | Cognex Corporation | System and method for expansion of field of view in a vision system |
US9892298B2 (en) | 2012-02-06 | 2018-02-13 | Cognex Corporation | System and method for expansion of field of view in a vision system |
EP3159731B1 (de) * | 2015-10-19 | 2021-12-29 | Cognex Corporation | System und verfahren zur erweiterung des sichtfeldes in einem sichtsystem |
Citations (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE463392C (de) * | 1927-09-01 | 1928-07-28 | Alexander Pilny | Verfahren zur Herstellung eines farbigen Projektionsfilms aus einem nebeneinanderliegende Farbteilbilder aufweisenden Film |
GB327669A (en) * | 1929-05-03 | 1930-04-10 | Benjamin Boris | Method of and means for cinematographic projection |
DE1017654B (de) * | 1956-07-02 | 1957-10-17 | Grundig Max | Anordnung zur Aufnahme und Wiedergabe raeumlich sehr ausgedehnter Objekte mittels einer Fernsehanlage |
US2895374A (en) * | 1954-09-14 | 1959-07-21 | James R Forman | Stereo-optical system |
US3670097A (en) * | 1969-10-20 | 1972-06-13 | Nasa | Stereoscopic television system and apparatus |
US3932702A (en) * | 1971-12-13 | 1976-01-13 | Redifon Limited | Optical system for the display of visual images |
US4040723A (en) * | 1974-12-20 | 1977-08-09 | N. V. Optische Industrie "De Oude Delft"Delft | Optical apparatus for reproducing a pair of data images on a common photographic plane |
US4167756A (en) * | 1976-09-08 | 1979-09-11 | Lectrolarm Custom Systems, Inc. | Split image camera system |
US4288819A (en) * | 1979-05-10 | 1981-09-08 | Williams Robert T | Multi-field imaging device |
Family Cites Families (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPS5961385A (ja) * | 1982-09-30 | 1984-04-07 | Fujitsu Ltd | 画像処理装置 |
-
1985
- 1985-11-08 GB GB858527665A patent/GB8527665D0/en active Pending
-
1986
- 1986-11-04 EP EP86308604A patent/EP0225721A1/de not_active Withdrawn
- 1986-11-07 JP JP61265425A patent/JPS62117479A/ja active Pending
- 1986-11-07 US US06/927,862 patent/US4750810A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE463392C (de) * | 1927-09-01 | 1928-07-28 | Alexander Pilny | Verfahren zur Herstellung eines farbigen Projektionsfilms aus einem nebeneinanderliegende Farbteilbilder aufweisenden Film |
GB327669A (en) * | 1929-05-03 | 1930-04-10 | Benjamin Boris | Method of and means for cinematographic projection |
US2895374A (en) * | 1954-09-14 | 1959-07-21 | James R Forman | Stereo-optical system |
DE1017654B (de) * | 1956-07-02 | 1957-10-17 | Grundig Max | Anordnung zur Aufnahme und Wiedergabe raeumlich sehr ausgedehnter Objekte mittels einer Fernsehanlage |
US3670097A (en) * | 1969-10-20 | 1972-06-13 | Nasa | Stereoscopic television system and apparatus |
US3932702A (en) * | 1971-12-13 | 1976-01-13 | Redifon Limited | Optical system for the display of visual images |
US4040723A (en) * | 1974-12-20 | 1977-08-09 | N. V. Optische Industrie "De Oude Delft"Delft | Optical apparatus for reproducing a pair of data images on a common photographic plane |
US4167756A (en) * | 1976-09-08 | 1979-09-11 | Lectrolarm Custom Systems, Inc. | Split image camera system |
US4288819A (en) * | 1979-05-10 | 1981-09-08 | Williams Robert T | Multi-field imaging device |
Cited By (22)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5293428A (en) * | 1991-05-08 | 1994-03-08 | Rohm Co., Ltd. | Optical apparatus for use in image recognition |
US5973726A (en) * | 1993-09-24 | 1999-10-26 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Panoramic image processing apparatus |
US5867318A (en) * | 1995-10-11 | 1999-02-02 | Sagem Sa | Wide-angle optical system |
US5937212A (en) * | 1996-11-15 | 1999-08-10 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Image pickup apparatus |
US20080291280A1 (en) * | 2002-08-28 | 2008-11-27 | Peters Iii Leo J | Retinal array compound camera system having at least three imaging sensors |
US20040041914A1 (en) * | 2002-08-28 | 2004-03-04 | Peters Leo J. | Retinal array compound camera system |
US8334903B2 (en) | 2002-08-28 | 2012-12-18 | Visual Intelligence, L.P. | Retinal array compound camera system having at least three imaging sensors |
US20090295924A1 (en) * | 2002-08-28 | 2009-12-03 | M7 Visual Intelligence, L.P. | Retinal concave array compound camera system |
US20090322883A1 (en) * | 2002-08-28 | 2009-12-31 | Visual Intelligence Systems, Inc. | Method of producing a remote imaging array |
US8994822B2 (en) | 2002-08-28 | 2015-03-31 | Visual Intelligence Lp | Infrastructure mapping system and method |
US8896695B2 (en) | 2002-08-28 | 2014-11-25 | Visual Intelligence Lp | Retinal concave array compound camera system |
US8471907B2 (en) | 2002-08-28 | 2013-06-25 | Visual Intelligence, LP | Method of producing a remote imaging array |
US7893957B2 (en) | 2002-08-28 | 2011-02-22 | Visual Intelligence, LP | Retinal array compound camera system |
US20070046448A1 (en) * | 2002-09-20 | 2007-03-01 | M7 Visual Intelligence | Vehicle based data collection and processing system and imaging sensor system and methods thereof |
US20100235095A1 (en) * | 2002-09-20 | 2010-09-16 | M7 Visual Intelligence, L.P. | Self-calibrated, remote imaging and data processing system |
US8483960B2 (en) | 2002-09-20 | 2013-07-09 | Visual Intelligence, LP | Self-calibrated, remote imaging and data processing system |
US7725258B2 (en) | 2002-09-20 | 2010-05-25 | M7 Visual Intelligence, L.P. | Vehicle based data collection and processing system and imaging sensor system and methods thereof |
US9389298B2 (en) | 2002-09-20 | 2016-07-12 | Visual Intelligence Lp | Self-calibrated, remote imaging and data processing system |
US9797980B2 (en) | 2002-09-20 | 2017-10-24 | Visual Intelligence Lp | Self-calibrated, remote imaging and data processing system |
USRE49105E1 (en) | 2002-09-20 | 2022-06-14 | Vi Technologies, Llc | Self-calibrated, remote imaging and data processing system |
US8339719B2 (en) * | 2007-04-02 | 2012-12-25 | Olympus Corporation | Optical apparatus |
US20100091393A1 (en) * | 2007-04-02 | 2010-04-15 | Takayoshi Togino | Optical apparatus |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
GB8527665D0 (en) | 1985-12-11 |
EP0225721A1 (de) | 1987-06-16 |
JPS62117479A (ja) | 1987-05-28 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
REMI | Maintenance fee reminder mailed | ||
LAPS | Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees | ||
FP | Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee |
Effective date: 19920614 |
|
STCH | Information on status: patent discontinuation |
Free format text: PATENT EXPIRED DUE TO NONPAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE FEES UNDER 37 CFR 1.362 |